Realizing His True Feelings
by booklover333
Summary: Naruto is finally back from training with Jiraiya for 3 years but he has many adventures and challenges in the future that are waiting for him.
1. Chapter 1: Returning to Konoha

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**I am new at writing fanfiction, so it might be terrible, I am sorry, but please review, it would mean so much! Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter 1:

"R-Really?" The navy haired girl timidly asked.

Her pink haired friend nodded vigorously, "Yeah!"

Naruto-kun…it's been 3 years. You have finally returned. Thank you. She thought, blushing slightly at the thought of seeing him after so long. Her friend grabbed her hand and pulled her along to the Hokage tower. "S-Sakura-chan!" She said, startled.

"Come on! Let's go meet Naruto!" Sakura chanted.

When the two kunoichi reached the Hokage tower, they ran to Tsunade's office and Sakura knocked on the door. A grunt came in response, to tell her to come in. Sakura came in, dragging a hesitant, blushing girl behind her.

"Oh, Sakura, Hinata. Hello." Tsunade said.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" A voice came. Sakura was tackled by a blur of blonde.

"Hey, Naruto." She said, hugging him back. "You're finally back."

"Yeah." Naruto released her and then turned to Hinata, "Hey, Hinata! How have you been?"

"Hello, N-Naruto-kun. I-I've b-been good." Hinata stuttered.

Naruto smiled in response.

"Ahem." A voice came from the doorway, there was a man with only his right eye visible, the rest covered with a mask. His hair was defying gravity and silver. He had an orange book in his hand. "Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled. He ran over to greet his former teacher. "How have you been?"

"Well enough. You have grown, Naruto." He observed, patting his ex-student's head softly.

Naruto laughed, "Height is not the only thing I have grown in, I am way stronger now, thanks to Ero-Sennin."

Kakashi smirked and said, "How is Sensei by the way?"

"Good." A new voice said. Kakashi turned around to see Jiraiya there, smiling, "Long time, no see, eh, Kakashi?"

"Yeah."

Afterwards, when Naruto had greeted everyone again, Tsunade wanted Sakura and Naruto to go and train with Kakashi.

"Let's see how much you two have grown." Kakashi said. He pulled out two familiar bells, "Same rules as when you were kids."

Naruto smirked, "YOSH! LET'S DO THIS SAKURA-CHAN!" He held up his hand, telling her to high-five him.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Naruto, don't make me punch you when I haven't seen you have for 3 years."

Naruto looked offended, "Sakura-chan." He pouted and put down his hand.

Kakashi laughed at their behavior, "Okay, start." And with that he vanished, leaving a trail of dust behind.

"Damn it!" Naruto exclaimed, "Where did he go?" He looked around frantically.

Sakura however, remained calm and closed her eyes, trying to sense his chakra. She noticed that it was nearby. She looked around, no one was there, which only meant one thing. "BELOW!" She punched the ground, which in result made the ground crack and rocks were thrown everywhere, "SHANNARO!" She screamed. There, in the rubble Kakashi was standing in the now destroyed ground, staring wide-eyed with his one visible eye.

Damn. Kakashi and Naruto both thought. Tsunade smirked, happy that her apprentice was doing so well. Shizune smiled as well. Jiraiya and Hinata who were watching were impressed and kind of scared.

Sakura smiled sheepishly and charged at Kakashi.

An hour later, Sakura and Naruto were panting, each holding a bell in their hand.

"You both really have grown." Kakashi admitted.

They all laughed. "Let's go get ramen! I am dying for Ichiraku's!" Naruto yelled, his fist in the air.

Same as always, Naruto. Sakura and Kakashi both thought. Nonetheless, they all went to Ichiraku Ramen and Naruto practically inhaled 6 bowls of ramen. Tsunade and Shizune had to go back to the Hokage tower, to finish some more paperwork. Jiraiya decided to go with them and Hinata had to go train with her father.

When Naruto was finishing his 6th bowl, he slammed down the bowl and said, "Thanks for treating us, Kakashi-sensei!" and dashed out with Sakura following him, laughing.

Kakashi sighed and paid for everything, They were so cute when they were younger, now they are just plain mean.

Naruto and Sakura walked around the village together, "I noticed that Obaa-chan's face is finally on the Hokage Mountain."

Sakura nodded, "Mmm-hmm," she gave him a sidelong glance, "And you really shouldn't call her that in front of her. You don't want to be near her when she is mad, trust me."

Naruto laughed, "It's fun getting her mad."

Sakura laughed as well.

"So," Naruto said, getting serious, "Teme hasn't come back, has he?"

Sakura's gaze dropped to the floor, "No, there hasn't been word from him since he left."

Naruto didn't respond, opting to glare at the ground in front of him.

Sakura stopped walking and looked over at Naruto, "You don't know how much it means that you came back. When you were gone, there was no one. Both of my teammates were gone and I felt like I had no one to go to. That's why I trained all the time."

Naruto's eyes filled with pity and shame, "I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan."

"It's okay, at least you are back now." She offered him a smile, which he returned.

"NARUTO-NIICHAN!" A child's voice came from behind them.

They both turned around to see Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru! How have you been? It's been so long!" Naruto said.

"I LEARNED A NEW JUTSU!" He said, instead of answering.

"Oh, really?"

Konohamaru made some hand seals and started to say, "Oiroke no Jutsu," when someone punched him. "KONOHAMARU! YOU WOULDN'T DARE TO DO THAT IN FRONT OF A LADY!"

"Moegi!" He complained, holding his head.

Moegi crossed her arms and looked away, "Hmph!"

"Sorry, nii-chan, I couldn't show you my amazing technique." Konohamaru apologized. Udon was behind Moegi, looking at Konohamaru, to see if he was alright.

Naruto laughed slightly, "Konohamaru," he started, "You shouldn't do silly jutsus like that anymore." His eyes burned with fire and he held up a fist, "YOU NEED TO GET BETTER AT THEM! LET ME DEMONSTRATE!" Naruto screamed. He made the same hand seals and got through saying "Oiroke no-" when Sakura had punched him. Hard. He crashed to the ground a few feet away.

She walked up to Naruto, picked him up and started to shake him roughly. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! THEY ARE LITTLE CHILDREN! WHY WOULD YOU SHOW THAT TO THEM?! BAKA!"

Udon, Moegi and Konohamaru stared wide-eyed and in fear. They quickly ran away.

The rest of the day, Naruto and Sakura walked around Konoha. Naruto sighed as the sunlight fell perfectly on him, This sure feels nostalgic, he thought, looking out on Konoha.

At the end of the day, Naruto went back home to his apartment. As soon as he entered his old home, he glanced at the old Team 7 photo. He sighed sadly and put his bag on his bed, which resulted in a large cloud of dust forming. Naruto coughed, "I should really clean this place up."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming!" Naruto shouted. When he opened the door, he saw Hinata standing there. "Hey, Hinata! What brings you here?"

"Um…T-Tsunade-sama wanted me to tell you that your and my team are to report to the Hokage Tower tomorrow morning. S-Sakura-san couldn't tell you as she was busy at the hospital."

"Oh." Naruto said, Maybe it's a mission! YES! "Okay, thanks."

"D-Do you need any help settling in again? D-Do y-you want me to help cl-clean your apartment?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Oh, um, sure. Thanks! I am not really good at cleaning things." Naruto laughed nervously.

Hinata smiled shyly and they both went into Naruto's apartment. For the next hour, they both cleaned his small apartment. Hinata was blushing most of the time from happiness and nervousness of being with Naruto alone.

When they were done, Naruto said, "Thanks, Hinata. You are really kind."

"Y-You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

"To repay you, let's go get ramen!" Naruto yelled, grabbing Hinata's hand and pulling her out of his apartment.

Hinata furiously blushed, on the fact that Naruto was holding her hand. She finally regained her senses and held on tighter, happy. When they reached Ichiraku Ramen, Hinata asked, "D-Didn't you already have r-ramen today, N-Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, but that was lunch. I'm hungry again, now."

Hinata giggled at his response.

Naruto sheepishly laughed as well.

When they were done eating, Naruto walked Hinata home, "Thanks for everything today, Hinata."

"T-Thank you for dinner. B-But you didn't have to p-pay for m-me." Hinata replied.

"Well, it was to repay you for cleaning my apartment with me."

Hinata blushed and said, "If…If you ever need something else. Tell me."

Naruto smiled in response.

When Hinata went inside her house, Naruto walked home slowly, thinking of many things.

"Where have you been?!" Hinata's father bellowed.

Hinata cowered in fear and eyes averted to the ground said, "I was with N-Naruto-kun. I helped him clean his apartment and then he took me out to d-dinner."

"I told you to stay away from that boy!"

"I-It has been 3 years since I last saw him." She said.

"I don't care. You are not to see that boy ever again! He is a monster and you are not to be with him!"

Hinata's eyes saddened. Her father was always lowering her self-esteem like this.

"And how dare you have the nerve? You should have been training with Hinabi when you were out goofing around with that...that thing." He said it like it disgusted him. "Is that why you didn't want to come home? So you wouldn't have to be beaten by your younger sister, yet again? You are absolutely worthless and a disgrace to the Hyuuga family!"

Hinata's eyes filled with tears but she refused to let them fall. She had been training all yesterday night and morning until Sakura came with the news that Naruto was back. She was constantly trying to train harder so that she could prove to her father that she was not worthless, that she was worthy of being the heiress, so that she be acknowledged for once. How much harder was she supposed to try? She often collapsed from training too intensely and exhaustion, but she still picked herself up and kept going for her father, so she could be noticed for once. But still, it wasn't enough. She always felt like nothing was enough for her father to satisfied.

"F-Father, I'm sorry, but I do train. A-A lot. A-And I hope that you can recognize it for once-" She was cut off, because a hand came down on her face, hard.

"Worthless!" Her father said.

Hinata looked up at her father, frightened and said, "I-I'm sorry." Then she ran out of the house, not looking back. She finally let the tears flow down her face and she wondered if the sky was crying too, it was raining now. She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going, until she bumped into someone and fell. "I-I'm so sorry." She looked up at the person, realizing it was Naruto.

"Hinata?" He helped her up, "What are you doing here? Why are you crying?"

This made Hinata cry harder and Naruto's gaze softened looking at

her tears. He picked Hinata up and ran home, Hinata crying all the way there.

Once they were home, Naruto gave her some of his dry clothes and once they both showered and were dry, Naruto asked, "Hinata? What's wrong, you can tell me." They were both sitting on the floor, leaning back on Naruto's bed.

Hinata stayed silent for a while until she said, "My...My father thinks that I am

worthless and a disgrace to the Hyuuga family."

Naruto looked at her with sympathy evident in his eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Hinata leaned into him and silent tears streamed down her fragile face.

"He always says that." She sniffled. "I-I train so much, all day and night, just so that h-he could acknowledge me. So I can prove that I am not worthless, that I am worthy of becoming the Hyuuga heiress."

Naruto's eyes widened, She is like me. I used to train so hard, wanting to become stronger, so that someone, anyone could notice me.

His grip on her tightened and he said, "I'm so sorry, Hinata."

Hinata cried for some more, with Naruto holding her tightly and stroking her hair, silent the whole time.

After a while later, Hinata stood and said, "I should get back to my father, he is probably worried."

But Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her down, "No, I'm not letting you go near him anymore. He is too much of an ass to let you anywhere near him."

Hinata said, "B-But Naruto-kun."

"No! I'm not going to let you get hurt. I don't like seeing you cry." He then put a gentle hand on her face, "It doesn't match with a beautiful face like yours."

Hinata blushed and put her own hand on top of his, "T-Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Come on, let's go to your house, but only so we can get your things. You can live with me for a while."

Hinata blushed, "N-Naruto-kun, you don't h-have to do that."

"I want to, come on. Let's go."

They silently ran to Hinata's house and crept up to the roof, where they slid in skillfully through her window. Hinata grabbed a bag and stuffed some clothes, personal items, pillow and a blanket. They left the Hyuuga Compound without being caught.

When they reached back to Naruto's apartment, Naruto said, "Take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

"N-No! I-I can't let you do that. Y-You have already done enough."

"You're the guest."

Hinata said, "I-I know, but still, please, Naruto-kun."

"Please don't make this hard for me, Hinata, I mean you're a girl and I can't let you sleep on the floor. WHAT KIND OF GUY WOULD THAT MAKE ME?"

Hinata giggled. "Just please, let me sleep on the floor."

"You know what, we can both share the bed, I know you are not going to give up. You're too nice for that." Naruto reasoned.

Hinata blushed and avoided his gaze, "O-Okay."

They both climbed in his bed, pulling the sheets over them both. The bed was just big enough for both of them to fit, but they were still pretty close. Hinata, still blushing, said, "G-Good night, N-Naruto-kun."

Something about her being there comforted Naruto and made him sleepy, "Goodnight, Ramen." His words came out slurred.

"Ramen?" Hinata giggled.

"Oh…" Naruto blushed, "Y-You know how sometimes people give other people nicknames?"

Hinata nodded.

"Well, sometimes, they name it off food they love, AND I LOOOOVE RAMEN, so yeah." Naruto was still blushing.

Hinata smiled, "Thank you, Zenzai." **(A/N: I don't really know, but it is just cute. Zenzai and cinnamon rolls are her favorite foods, it says on Narutopedia.)**

Naruto laughed. He then wrapped an arm around her waist and snuggled closer, pulling her back flush against his chest.

Hinata blushed at how close they were and hoped that she wouldn't faint, which she didn't because instead, she fell asleep peacefully in the arms of the boy she had loved for years.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Doesn't that make you all warm inside? It made me feel all fluffy, lol. Please review, I want to see if I should continue this. Thanks!**

**~ booklover333**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**I am new at writing fanfiction, so it might be terrible, I am sorry, but please review, it would mean so much! Thanks!**

**And I updated the first chapter, so please go back and read that. It's only some small things that you might not notice, but I did. Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter 2:

The next morning, they both woke up and blushed at how close they were. Scrambling away from each other, Naruto mumbled something about taking a shower and lunged for the bathroom, leaving Hinata bright red, fingers fidgeting.

Did yesterday really happen? It feels like a dream. Hinata thought. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Naruto come out of the shower, hair dripping wet.

"Oi!" Naruto yelled, shaking Hinata, making her come out of her daydreaming. Naruto laughed at her shocked expression, "I called for you like 5 times. You can go take a shower if you want."

Hinata looked at him and said, "Y-Yes. Thank you, N-Naruto-kun." Then she jumped up and went into the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, she changed into her clothes that she had taken with her. Drying her hair with a towel, she walked out to see Naruto making some instant ramen.

"H-Hello, N-Naruto-kun." She said.

Naruto turned around, "Hey, Hinata!" Then he gave her a bowl full of ramen, "Want some?"

Hinata laughed, "D-Do you really only eat ramen?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously, "Heh. Most of the time, but I do eat other things."

Hinata shook her head at him, "Yes, thank you." She took the bowl from him, "B-But today, I'll go shopping and we can have something other than ramen."

"Okay! But, can we still have ramen for lunch?" Naruto inquired.

Hinata giggled, "S-Sure."

"YES!" He screamed, hugging Hinata, making her blush. When he released her, he noticed that her face was bright red, "Hinata?" He put his hand on her forehead, "Are you feeling okay?"

That was more than enough to make her faint.

"HINATA!" Naruto screamed, catching her before she hit the ground due to her fainting. "OH MY GOD, SHE'S DEAD! NOOOO!" Naruto yelled.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open.

"Hinata?" Naruto said quietly. When he noticed that she was okay, he hugged her again and said, "HINATA! YOU AREN'T DEAD!"

Hinata laughed, "N-No, I'm not. B-But could you let go, I-I can't breathe properly."

"Oh!" Naruto released her instantly, not wanting her to faint again, "Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"I-It's fine."

Once they had had their breakfast and had dressed in their ninja attire, they went to the Hokage Tower.

Sai and Kakashi were on missions so Sakura and Naruto were instructed to meet at the Hokage Tower, as long as Hinata's team.

When they reached there, Sakura, Shino and Kiba were already there.

"Hello, Naruto and Hinata." Tsunade said when they walked in after knocking.

"Good morning, Tsunade-obaa-chan!" Naruto said cheerily.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched at the name, but said nothing about it. "Okay, now that everyone is here." She laced her fingers together, resting her elbows on her desk, "You all have a mission."

"All of us?! Together?!" Naruto exclaimed.

Tsunade sighed"Yes, Naruto."

Tsunade continued, "You all have a group mission that is S-Ranked."

"S-RANKED?!" Naruto interrupted again.

"YES, NARUTO! NOW LET ME FINISH BEFORE YOU START COMMENTING ON EVERYTHING!" Tsunade screamed.

"O-Okay." Naruto quietly answered.

Tsunade sighed, "As I was saying, the mission is to observe a hideout that is said to be found in the Land of Earth that may have been used by the Akatsuki before. The other jounin in the village are currently out on other missions so we have to give it other ninjas. It is S-Ranked because other dangerous shinobi might be there as well. Sakura is the team captain. It will take you about a week to get there, so pack well. You leave tomorrow morning at 8:00."

She dismissed everyone but told Hinata to stay back. "Hinata." Tsunade said, once everyone had left. "I am aware that you have run away from home. Your father has contacted me, saying he is worried."

Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly, Why would father care about me? He has no pride or faith in me. But she didn't say anything to Tsunade, instead opting to look at her shoes.

"I am going to send a letter, saying that you are safe. But…Hinata…I decided to give your team this mission not only because of your tracking and observation skills, but as well because since you will be away from home for so long, I would hope that this would give you enough time to think about what to do."

Hinata nodded, "T-Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled slightly, "But, Hinata, where are you staying now?"

Hinata blushed, "A-At N-Naruto-kun's apartment."

Tsunade smiled knowingly, she knew about Hinata's major crush on Naruto, almost everyone did, except for Naruto himself, because he was so dense. "Ah."

"B-But please don't tell my f-father that." Hinata blurted out, "H-He doesn't approve of N-Naruto-kun."

Tsunade smiled widely, "You two sound like you're dating. Is there something you want to tell me Hinata?" She greatly enjoyed seeing Hinata getting redder and redder by each word she said.

"N-No! It's...It's not like that! I-I promise!"

Tsunade laughed, "Yeah, I know. That idiot is too dense notice how beautiful and strong you are."

Hinata blushed. She rarely got compliments and she had just gotten one from the Hokage, one of the best kunoichi in the world, "T-Thank you."

When Hinata left, Naruto was still waiting for her outside, "Hinata! What happened? What did obaa-chan want with you?"

"O-Oh, nothing important."

Since Naruto was too oblivious to notice her blushing, he said, "Do you want to go and train, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked "Afterwards, we go and eat ramen!"

"S-Sure, Naruto-kun." Hinata answered, relieved that he didn't notice something off about her.

For the next 4 hours, Naruto and Hinata both relentlessly trained. They sparred with each other, worked on their own techniques and chakra control.

Naruto taught Hinata to be more aggressive when she attacked others and Hinata taught Naruto better chakra control.

Afterwards, they, true to Hinata's word, had ramen. Then, they went shopping for groceries to make dinner.

Once they got back home, they both took a quick shower and packed their bags for their mission.

When they were done packing, Hinata made dinner.

"Do you want help, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"S-Sure." She said, handing him a knife and an apron, "Can you cut those vegetables for me?"

"Sure." Naruto said. He took the apron, putting it on quickly and then taking the knife from her and starting to cut, but the knife slipped and cut his finger. "Owww!" Naruto howled.

Hinata quickly bandaged him up and said, "You have to hold the knife straight and securely, Naruto-kun."

"Hehe, sorry."

For the next half an hour, they both made dinner and afterwards, when they were eating, Naruto exclaimed, "This is great, Hinata!"

Hinata blushed, "T-Thank you."

A while after dinner, they decided to go to sleep, in the same position as the previous night, though this time, they were both facing each other, legs tangled, arms wrapped around each other protectively, like they refused to let go.

The next day, they both woke up early, took a shower, brushed and ate a quick breakfast before they rushed out the door to meet with their other team members at the front gates of Konoha.

Sakura and Shino were already there, waiting for everyone else. Kiba got there a few minutes after Naruto and Hinata did.

"Okay!" Sakura said, "Now, that's everyone here, we can go." And with that, they ran out the village and jumped from tree to tree.

After almost 5 hours of non-stop traveling, with the exception of a few breaks, Sakura decided that they should take a lunch break.

After lunch, they rested for a bit, before Sakura said that it was time to head off again.

"Sakura-chhhyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaannn!" Naruto whined, "We have been traveling for 6 hours! Can we please stop?"

Sakura looked at the sun, which was starting to set and sighed, "I guess so."

Everyone jumped down from the trees and found a good open space that they could use for settling down.

Darkness quickly fell upon them and they ate a small dinner cooked by Hinata and Sakura and fell asleep.

The days flew by and before they knew it, they had reached the Land of Earth. It only took them 5 days to reach there even when Tsunade told them it would take about a week because they ran hastily, trying to get the mission done in record timing.

On the fifth day, it was around noon and the group had just finished eating lunch.

"It should be right over…" Sakura said, looking at the map, then at her surroundings, "There!" She pointed where near Kiba was standing, but there were trees behind him. They looked through the opening of the trees to see a lake.

"Um...Sakura, I'm pretty sure their hideout wouldn't be on a lake." Kiba stated.

Sakura was confused, she knew she was in the right location, she had followed the map perfectly, so the only other thing would be… "Genjutsu!" She yelled out, quietly though. "It's probably a genjutsu!" She made a seal and yelled out, "Release!" And slowly the river began to fade away, leaving a wall of rock.

Sakura smirked and quietly her and the group ran to it. They tried pushing the rock out of the way, but it was too heavy.

"SHANNARO!" Sakura yelled as she enforced a chakra-infused fist into the wall and the rocks instantly crumbled, forming a mini pathway appeared for them.

"Remind me to not get her angry." Kiba whispered to Naruto, who nodded in agreement.

They walked around the rubble and went inside with caution.

"Guys." Kiba said suddenly, his eyes widening, realizing something. "I-I can smell Sasuke's scent here. It's somewhat faint, but he was here." Akamaru barked, agreeing.

Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"There are 3 other people with him as well."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other in confusion.

Hinata remained calm and asked, "K-Kiba-kun, do you have any idea how long ago he could have been here?" Her voice filled with confidence that she hadn't had for most of her life.

"About a day ago. He went," Kiba closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, "South."

"Then let's go." Shino said.

While they were traveling, Kiba alerted everyone by saying, "He's close."

Naruto, determined to meet Sasuke, sped up, making everyone speed up as well.

"He knows that we are coming after him because Akamaru says that he has a sensory-type ninja traveling with him." Kiba said.

They reached where Kiba said that he had last sensed him, but no one detected chakra anywhere near them.

"I-It's like he vanished." Kiba said.

Naruto growled, "Then let's find him! Come on! Which way Kiba?!"

"Let's keep going the way we were."

"Fine."

After another hour of traveling, Kiba, Shino and Hinata could sense him again, "H-He stopped, but he is still far away." Hinata said.

Akamaru barked in agreement. Shino and Kiba nodded as well.

Naruto sped up even more, leaving everyone to trail behind him.

In the next 2 hours, they finally reached where Sasuke had supposedly stopped and hopped down from the trees.

"W-What happened here?" Sakura asked.

The ground was in shambles, looking even worse than when Sakura had punched

the ground during training with Kakashi.

"Sasuke had a fight with someone who I don't recognize, but his chakra is very much like Sasuke's."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other again and hoped it wasn't someone that they were both thinking of.

Itachi. They both thought.

"Damn it!" Naruto said, punching the ground, bruising his knuckles. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He yelled, punching the ground between every phrase. Both his hands were bleeding heavily.

Sakura tried to stop him but he didn't listen.

He punched the ground until he finally realized what he was doing. Naruto stopped, tears pricking at his eyes, "Why doesn't he want to come back?! Why is he running away?!" He paused, punching the ground once more. "Why is that, even now, I can never catch up to him, that he will always be one step ahead of me?!"

Sakura and Hinata looked at him sympathetically. Akamaru whined caringly for his comrade.

"Why?!" Naruto furiously swiped his eyes full of any tears and stood up, ignoring his bloodied hands. "Which way now Kiba?!"

"Naruto-" Kiba tried to reason, but was cut off.

"No! We need to find him, we need to make him-"

"N-Naruto-kun, maybe it's for the best." Hinata quietly said. "We are never going to find him like this. We should ask for help from Tsunade-sama first."

"Yeah, but-"

"Naruto." Sakura said. "Hinata's right. Let's just go. H-He's…He's not worth it."

"S-Sakura-chan." Naruto said. Then he paused, looking down. "Fine." He spat out, hands clenching. "But we are coming back. I swear it! I am not giving up my promise to you, Sakura-chan. Ever!"

Sakura smiled and in silence, they all went to find somewhere to settle down for the night.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**What did you think? Good? Not good? Sorry if it isn't! But please review! Thanks! BYE!**

**~ booklover333**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto and I don't own them.**

**I am new at writing fanfiction, so it might be terrible, I am sorry, but please review, it would mean so much! Thanks!**

**Hiiiiiiiiiiii! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in about like...um...3 months...? Hehe...sorry? I'M SO SORRY! It's just that my priority was to finish Melting the Human Ice Cube first and now that that is _finally_ done, I can update this! So I'm going to try to update every week, or every two weeks. So stay in tune and REVIEW! **

* * *

Chapter 3:

The group settled down not far from the hideout, but still far enough so that they could be hidden from other possible shinobi.

Naruto lay awake that night, staring at the stars, wondering what Sasuke was doing and why he didn't want to come back home to Konoha. He wondered why Itachi was there. _Did teme and teme's brother have a fight? _

Naruto sighed, turning on his side, before turning back to the stars, _What are you doing right now? Are you looking up at the same stars as I am, teme? _

All these thoughts ran through Naruto's mind as everyone was asleep, except for Hinata, who was beside Naruto. She was especially worried about him.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She called softly.

Naruto looked at her, "Yeah?"

"A-Are you okay?"

Naruto sighed and nodded slightly, looking up back at the stars, "I'm just…confused, Hinata."

Hinata patted Naruto's hand with her own soft one, "If you need to talk about it, you can, N-Naruto-kun.

She was about to pull away when Naruto grabbed her hand. She looked at him, but he was looking away, "I just don't know what to do. I don't understand why Sasuke wouldn't want to come home."

Hinata held on to his own and moved closer, "Maybe S-Sasuke-kun is confused too. M-Maybe he is just trying to figure out where he belongs and what he is supposed to do."

Naruto looked at Hinata with wide eyes, like she had made him realize something. He pulled her closer, into a hug, "Thanks, Hinata."

Hinata blushed and nestled her head in his neck, "You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

Naruto fell asleep, Hinata following him soon after.

The next morning, Sakura and the others observed the hideout more, finding some scrolls. They didn't open them, knowing that there would be a code or a trap or something.

After examining the hideout, when Sakura was content, they left to go back to Konoha.

Sakura knocked on the door to her master's office.

"Come in!" Tsunade said from inside.

Sakura and the others walked in.

Tsunade smirked, "Record timing, like usual."

Once they had reported about their mission, Tsunade thanked them all and took the scrolls from them and then everyone left their different ways.

"Hinata?" Tsunade called.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Hinata answered, everyone else had left except for her

and Naruto.

"Have you decided what you are going to do?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto was confused, "What do you mean, obaa-chan?"

"About what to tell my father, N-Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama gave me this mission not only for my tracking skills, but so I could think over what to do." Hinata answered instead.

"Oh." Naruto said.

"So? What is your decision, Hinata?" Tsunade asked the kunoichi.

Hinata fidgeted with her fingers, "I-I want to apologize to my father for running out like that but I-I don't think I deserve to live in that house anymore a-and-"

"Why the hell would you apologize to that ass?!" Naruto yelled, making Hinata flinch, "And it's not that you don't deserve to live there, he or that house doesn't deserve _you_!"

"N-Naruto-kun, I-"

"Hinata!" Naruto said, "You can live with me if you want, but I am not letting you live there anymore. Your father doesn't deserve to have a caring and kind daughter as you!"

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata gasped.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, unaffected by the blonde's outburst, "So I guess that the current living situation is final?"

Naruto nodded for Hinata, "Yeah, obaa-chan! Hinata can live with me if she wants to!"

Tsunade and Naruto both looked at Hinata, "Well?" Tsunade said.

Hinata looked at Naruto who nodded encouragingly. Hinata sighed and nodded. She felt relieved.

"Well, then that's settled." Tsunade said, "But, Hinata, I do recommend at least talking to your father about this, you are, after all, his daughter and he has a right to know about your whereabouts."

"He has no right to know anything about-!" Naruto started, but got cut off when Hinata spoke.

"I understand, Tsunade-sama. I-I will talk to him." She said, while bowing.

Afterwards, Naruto and Hinata both walked to Naruto's apartment.

There, after a quick lunch, Naruto spoke, "So…do you want to talk to him now?"

Hinata nodded slightly, "I think the sooner it's done, the better."

The walk to the Hyuuga compound was silent. Outside of the Hyuuga compound, they saw Neji, Tenten and Lee, training.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji said, running to Hinata when he spotted her. "We've all been worried about where you were." Then he looked to Naruto, "What are you doing here?"

"N-Neji-nii-san, Naruto-kun came here with me and I'm sorry to have worried

you, but we need to talk to Hiashi-sama."

Neji noticed how she didn't call Hiashi her father, like usual. He furrowed his

eyebrows, but nodded, knowing that Hinata would do the right thing.

Naruto, for once, didn't say anything and just followed Hinata into the compound.

"Hinata?" Someone's voice boomed from a room.

Hinata and Naruto whirled around to see Hiashi, Hinata's father, standing there with a shocked expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" He said.

Hinata looked at her father, "H-Hiashi-sama, I-I came here to tell you that I sincerely apologize for running away two weeks ago." She stammered. Hinata calmed herself down and looked at her father in the eye, "And I am also here to inform you that I will no longer be living here."

Hiashi scoffed, "I don't care if you don't live here, but where will be residing then?" He crossed his arms.

Hinata stood up straighter, "A-At Naruto-kun's apartment."

Hiashi's gaze finally rested on Naruto, glaring at him. Hiashi scowled, his lips pursing, "With this…this _monster_?"

Naruto gritted his teeth in order to stop himself from lashing out at the man in front of him.

Hinata's eyebrows knitted themselves together, but she shook it off, "Naruto-kun is at least nice enough to care for me. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to pack the rest of my things."

Hiashi glared at the both of them, "Then I never want to see both of you again in my life, you disgust me. I am officially disowning you, Hinata."

Hinata gasped, tears collecting in her eyes, but she blinked them away, turned around and head to her old room.

But, Naruto, didn't follow her. He glared at Hiashi and said, "Listen! I don't care what the hell you say about me, but insult Hinata again and you'll regret it. She is a brilliant kunoichi and a hundred times more caring and loving than you could ever be!" Before Naruto could continue, Hinata pulled him away, so he wouldn't risk getting hurt from her…father.

After Hinata had packed her belongings, her and Naruto left the Hyuuga compound without saying another word.

Back at Naruto's apartment, Hinata sat on the bed and cried. Naruto put a reassuring arm around her. "I-I just can't believe he is actually _disowning_ me."

Naruto rubbed her back soothingly and rested his chin on top of her head.

After Hinata had stopped crying, she looked up at Naruto, "N-Naruto-kun?"

"Yes?" He responded.

Hinata wiped her eyes, "What did Hiashi-sama mean when he said 'monster?'"

Naruto's expression darkened and he looked down, his bangs covering his eyes. "Hinata. Promise me that you won't be afraid of me after I tell you."

"What do you mean?"

"Just please, promise me!" He looked at her, "I need to know if you'll still be there for me."

Hinata nodded, "I-I promise, Naruto-kun."

Naruto sighed and looked away, "You know the legend of the Kyuubi and how the Kyuubi was sealed into a child?"

Hinata nodded, telling him to continue.

"Well, that child…is me." Naruto warily looked at her, knowing he couldn't make her forget what he had just told her, even if he wanted to. "I-I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails."

When she didn't responded, Naruto shook his head, laughing bitterly, "You're afraid aren't you? Or do you hate me now?"

All of a sudden, Naruto felt soft and delicate arms wrapping around him and he froze.

"Naruto-kun, I could never hate you." She said quietly.

"S-So you're not-" He didn't finish his sentence, but he knew he didn't need to.

Hinata smiled at him, "Naruto-kun, you're always going to be Naruto-kun, no matter what. You are always going to be the person I admire so much. Y-You always find the strength to stand up, you never give up and that's why I look up to you. Even when we were younger, I always admired you because of your strength. Unlike you, I don't have self-confidence. When we were in the Academy and when we were genin, you stood up for me, whether it was against boys picking on me or you." Hinata clasped one of Naruto's hands with both of hers.

"Y-You've acknowledged me since I was younger…all I wanted was for someone, anyone to notice me, but…I didn't even notice you."

Hinata smiled, lifting one hand to his cheek, "It's okay, Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked at her and then brought her into a hug, "Thank you, Hinata. For not looking at me like I am a monster, for seeing _me_."

Hinata pulled back and said, "The only person I see is Naruto-kun, a caring, strong, self-confident shinobi."

Naruto smiled and he kissed Hinata on the cheek softly, "Thanks."

Hinata blushed and closed her eyes, leaning on Naruto. "No, Naruto-kun. _Thank you_, for always being there, for being someone I could look up to."

They stayed like that for a while until they decided to go to sleep, once again in the arms of each other.

The weeks went by and everything was as usual. Naruto and Hinata were still living together, they both went on missions, trained and ate.

"Hinata-chan! That was amazing! You're really getting better!" Naruto complimented, out of breath. Naruto had started calling Hinata, "Hinata-chan" since they were closer. They were both training together on an afternoon one day, sparring with each other.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She replied.

A bird landed nearby them and Hinata went over, gently prying the scroll out of it's claws before it flew away.

Watching it fly away, she turned back to Naruto who asked, "What's that?" He jogged over.

Hinata shrugged, slowly opening it.

They both read it and without any words, exchanged, ran off to the Hokage tower.

_Naruto, Hinata, _

_I have a special mission for you. It's concerning Sasuke. Come to the Hokage tower as soon as you can. _

_~ Tsunade_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**DUN DUN DUN! Sasuke...always creating problems, tch. Okay, please review, it means so much to me. THANKS! **

**~ booklover333**


End file.
